Another blog post about change? Really? The last three I posted aren't enough? How about the thousands of other books, blogs, and articles on the subject?
I am with you. I don’t need to hear another message that changes are coming and I need to get on board.
And yet, we are confronted with this reality: Most of our efforts to make change work don’t work as well as we had hoped … or even at all.

The old-fashioned view of mentoring is someone outside a learner’s chain of command who equips that learner with new skills and knowledge. It is an archaic expert to novice or smart to unwise philosophy. The goal is the transfer of information or expertise, much like pouring knowledge into the head of a passive learner. It is the model that antiquated teachers used to teach facts students only recalled long enough to score favorably on the test.

Have you ever watched a leader make a decision or take an action and think, “They ought to know better.”
I find that sentiment to be especially true when it comes to people issues. Leaders ought to know how to motivate others. They ought to know how to treat people with respect and act with honesty. They ought to know how to take action and make good decisions.
That is where Phillip Van Hooser comes in.
Phil knows what leaders ought to know, and he shares it in his new book, Leaders Ought to Know: 11 Ground Rules for Common Sense Leadership.

In its “Economic Prospects for the Year 2000,” the writers at Business Week saw a glass half-empty and chose to see it as mostly full.
The world painted in its 1989 article would have been a great place. The vision that they created was completely possible. We missed the opportunity. We lacked the rigor in our thinking and failed to consider all the possible implications of our choices. We lacked the discipline to execute toward the vision. And, we lacked the courage to confront reality and put long-term success ahead of short-term reward.

This week’s blog is a rant about the sequester that went in place in March. If you are sick and tired of the discussion, check back next week for something else. If you want to understand the impact of irresponsible leadership, read on. I promise this will step on everyone’s toes.

Random acts of wow are wonderful. Do them. But that’s not where you’ll win or lose the game. Don’t think that some once-a-year special thing that you do ever takes the place of being the best at what matters most consistently.

My December 31, 2012 social media post drew a lot of likes and one great question.
Here is the post: We shouldn’t fear getting old. We should fear becoming disconnected, unaware, and irrelevant.
The response from friends, fans, and followers was great because of the age span represented. I heard from people in their twenties and people in their sixties.
Here’s the great question I received: How do you change your mindset to keep from becoming disconnected, unaware, and irrelevant?

The people who have moved from success to significance in the personal lives don’t give because they are successful. They are successful because they give. They are not merely thankful for their success. They are thankful for the opportunity to strive.
Research cited by Dr. Robert Emmons in his book, Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, suggests that people who operate from a heightened place of gratitude and thankfulness typically experience better overall health, fewer physical symptoms, higher income, more energy, larger social networks and stronger marriages.

This blog was first published in 2010. Considering we are near the end of perhaps the most divisive Presidential elections in recent U.S. history, it is an excellent time for all of us to reflect and ask ourselves - are we leaders or liars?

The American economy needs to grow again. Not the 1.5 – 2.0 percent growth we have seen over the past months. We need real growth in the 3.5 – 4.0 percent range. That is the only way to put millions of people back to work; advance our quality of life; [...]